The purpose of this protocol is to study the role of IgE-binding protein, now known as galectin-3, in allergic inflammation. Existing data suggest that galectin-3 may be an amplifier of imflammation. This protein is expressed in various inflammatory cells and our hypothesis is that galectin-3 is upregulated in individuals with allergic diseases as a result of stimulation by various imflammatory mediators. The protocol cosists of two specific aims. The first deals with the quantitation of the level of galectin-3 in sera of patients with allergic diseases, including asthma and atopic dermatitis, and the second concerns the analysis of the expression of galectin-3 in inflammatory cells from patients with allergic diseases. We have already accomplished the first part and found that sera from normal and allergic individuals in general do not contain significant levels of galectin-3. This is probably explainable by the binding of secreted galectin-3 to glycoconjugates on the surfaces of various cells. The future plan is to focus on the study of expression of galectin-3 in inflammatory cells.